CLARETS keeper Nik Michopoulos has been handed a timely boost after the disappointing failure to reach the play-offs with a recall to the Greek international squad.

Michopoulos is now hoping that he will claim his 14th cap for his country in one of the friendly matches against Romania and Cyprus in a couple of weeks.

His goalkeeping coach at Burnley, Alex Stepney, revealed that the recall will mean a great deal to the player coming only a few months after he suffered injury problems.

Michopoulos tore his calf muscle in an FA Cup tie at Cheltenham and subsequently lost his place to on-loan star Marlon Beresford.

"I am delighted for Nik because he has worked very hard this season," explained the Manchester United legend. "Good luck to him because it is a great honour to be selected for your country.

"He got injured playing at Cheltenham and that upset him a lot. The injury kept him out for a while but he has come back really well.

"It was obviously a very disappointing day against Coventry City but Nik did make a fantastic save to keep out Lee Mills' shot in the second half. That showed he was back to his best."

Stepney is pleased that reports of Michopoulos's form this season have got back to Greece because he claimed: "Sometimes when you are playing abroad and you are a goalkeeper or a defender you can be forgotten about.

"He has got another year on his contract and so hopefully I will be back to work with him again next season."

Michopoulos has made some great saves this season, winning September's save of the month for one stop from a Mark Robins header, but he has also been blamed for a couple of errors by Stan Ternent.

Stepney feels he has developed throughout the season, not least with the continued improvement in his English.

"We have worked on his talking and communication with the defence and he is certainly a lot better now," he said. "He has also worked on his organisation."

The 32-year-old has just completed his first full season as the number one at Turf Moor having been signed by Stan Ternent from PAOK Salonika two summers ago.

He has won 13 caps for his country in the past and has been keen to break back into the squad. The Greeks, who were in England's qualifying group for the World Cup, entertain Romania in Alexandroupoli on May 12 before they take on Cyprus in Rhodes on May 15.

Ternent backed his keeper's international claims earlier this season and he is delighted that a second player has broken into his national squad following Gareth Taylor's appearance in the latest Wales international.

Michopoulos has already returned to his home country where he is enjoying considerably better weather than Burnley.

The Greek stopper's first cap came back in 1994 against Cyprus but he has not played for his country since October 1999.

Another cap would be a happy ending to a season that had looked as if it had closed in bitter disappointment.

Meanwhile his fellow Greek Dimitri Papadopoulos is a certainty for the Under-21 squad that will play in the European final in Switzerland in just over a fortnight's time. That squad will be announced next week.